


Whispers of the Sea

by tangypop



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - The Little Mermaid Fusion, M/M, Mermaids, Merman Loras, Minor Sansa Stark/Margaery Tyrell, Stranded Renly, alternate title for this was “renly: naked and afraid”, renly hates the ocean
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-06-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:21:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22072447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tangypop/pseuds/tangypop
Summary: Humans and mermaids— two powers that have been fighting since the beginning of time. One controls land, while the other controls the sea.Renly is well aware of the creatures and the horrifying tales about them that he was raised with. But after a boating accident, he somehow gets stranded from his family on a nearby island with nobody to help him, except for... a mermaid.
Relationships: Minor or Background Relationship(s), Renly Baratheon/Loras Tyrell
Comments: 2
Kudos: 17





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This idea is a very old one I came up with... a couple years ago. It originally was a Hetalia (I know, I know) story I wrote on Wattpad before becoming disinterested with the fandom and deleting the story. I decided to revive it with GoT, since I liked the plot enough.  
> When will the next chapter be out? Who knows. I'm super inconsistent, and this is my first multiple-chapter work in a while.

Renly had heard the old tales that fishermen would tell.

They described creatures akin to humans, with scaly tails and pointy teeth, ready to feast on the flesh of the poor souls unlucky enough to meet them. Sailors dragged to the bottom of the ocean, maidens snatched from the coasts— it gave Renly chills just to think about the stories.

Of course, he wasn't sure if he believed them. There hadn't been any confirmed sightings except for legends, and sailors were often known for not being the most reliable sources. But every time he set foot in the water, Renly couldn't help but feel a small amount of fear that at any time, a mermaid could appear. And what they would do with him, he didn't dare want to know.

As he stood at the festival that the King had decided to host to honor some dead hero, he found his eyes drawn to the vast sea in the distance, hardly visible from his spot in the Red Keep. Something about the ocean was so mysterious despite all the dangers people warned about. In all honesty, he wasn't sure if he admired it or hated it.

His head turned back to land as he noticed his brother Robert amble up to him, and he braced himself for whatever drunken thing the King had to say. Assuming that he was drunk, that is, though with Robert that was a given at any time.

"Why are you all alone here?" Robert slurred, placing a hand on Renly’s shoulder. "You look so melancholic, staring off into the sea. Come mingle with everyone."

Renly unwillingly nodded, trailing the King back into the crowded field. Robert's parties didn't typically interest him; in fact, it really wasn't fun for anyone that didn't like getting drunk off their asses. But he had to appease his brother, and sulking wouldn't do him any good.

"I want you to talk to a friend of Cersei's. She's really beautiful, and I think you'll like her. Her name's...Taena Merryweather, I believe."

"Taena Merryweather is married," Renly stated, knowing exactly what his brother was getting at. He tried to avoid it as best as he could.

"Oh. Well, there's also...the lovely Stark girl. Sansa."

"She's betrothed to your own son," sighed Renly. Really, how drunk was Robert?

"What about that Margaery Tyrell woman? Renly, you have to find a girl eventually. You're getting older, and I don't want my young brother going unmarried. We have to keep the Baratheon bloodline running."

"Robert, please. I told you, I'll find someone on my own. You don't have to find all these women for me."

"Fine, fine. Go speak with Margaery though, I'm relatively sure she isn't betrothed or married. From what I know, she's a nice girl. Cersei hates her, but that doesn't matter in the end. Now go." Robert shooed Renly towards the girl before sauntering off to get another drink. Renly hesitantly made his way up to the woman, hoping he wouldn't be forced to talk to her for too long.

Margaery was a rather interesting character at the castle. Her charming looks and wit captivated all men, Renly included— though not quite in the same way it affected the others. He thought she would make an excellent ally despite her mysterious upbringing that everyone whispered about.

She had come to the city without any family. Her surname, "Tyrell," wasn't shared by any of the other major families of the kingdom, and she hadn't much of a knowledge of the society of King's Landing when she first arrived. Though, even without a title or any worth to her name, her cunning personality made her incredibly popular with the townsfolk. And after getting particularly close with Ned Stark’s daughter Sansa, she found her reputation amongst the lords and ladies of the kingdom. She even allegedly smart-mouthed the Queen once or twice, which in itself was big enough of a feat already. She would make a good wife, Renly thought, if the occasion finally came that he was forced to marry some poor girl by his brothers. Thankfully, though, that time hadn't quite come yet. Yet.

"Hello, Margaery," Renly greeted, giving a short bow to the lady. "Nice to see you here."

"Ah, Renly. Good evening." She turned to face him, her silky brown hair glowing from the light of the sunset. She was beautiful, Renly had to admit. More beautiful than most of the other ladies there.

"Are you enjoying the festival?"

"Oh, you know. As much as I can while sober."

"You haven't had anything to drink yet?"

"No," she replied. "I don't trust myself to get drunk among the nobles here. I'm not a Lannister, after all." 

Renly let out a halfhearted chuckle, internally panicking with the thought of how to continue the conversation. He knew Robert would come storming back up to him if he wasn't talking to a woman at the party, and he hoped to keep Margaery's attention for more than a minute at least. Gods, how did his brother do it?

"Are you enjoying your time at King's Landing?" he blurted out the first question that came to his mind, and Margaery narrowed her eyes.

"It's splendid. Or at least, as splendid as this hellhole can get. Though I have to ask, is His Grace making you talk with me? I take no offense, but it seems like your conversation is a bit... forced. I've been here for years."

As expected, she read directly through him just from that. "Maybe he suggested it, though I'm certainly enjoying our chat nonetheless."

"...Right. Something tells me you're like my brother- either that or you're just drunk. Well, if nothing interesting is to be said here, then I think I might go speak with Lady Sansa. If you'll excuse me."

Margaery walked off towards the other Lady, leaving Renly feeling rather embarrassed at how bad he was at dealing with women. He liked to think he had a masterful way with words, especially in the council, but for some reason when trying to keep a woman's attention that skill entirely left him. And since when did Margaery have a brother? He thought she was all alone in the city.

Deciding not to stand alone where Margaery left him, Renly went over to get a drink and hopefully become drunk enough to actually have fun. Maybe he'd chat with some woman; not enough to get her interested in him but at least enough to pass time. Either that or he'd unwillingly end up in the middle of a drunken debate between Littlefinger and Lord Varys. Curse Robert and his godsforsaken festivals.

As he woke the next day, Renly had a terrible headache all through the morning, which wasn't exactly good considering how the small council had a meeting that day. He didn't understand how Robert could just have a festival one day and a council the next, but then he remembered that Robert hardly ever went to these meetings— leaving the rest of the council to suffer without their king. Not like he'd be much help anyways.

He hastily got ready and speed-walked in the direction of the Red Keep, hopefully not late for the meeting. But as he kept getting distracted by the pounding in his head, his idea of where the Red Keep was seemed to have unconsciously left him. It wasn't until he heard the sound of his name that he snapped out of the haze his mind had put him in.

"Renly."

It was his brother Stannis, who surprisingly didn't seem as hungover as he was.

"Ah, hello, Stannis."

"Did you just forget where the Red Keep is?"

"Sorry, I was just...thinking too much. Let's go."

The two made their way towards the Red Keep, walking side-by-side into the chamber where the meeting would be held. Some members were already seated, including the King himself, shockingly. He sat beside his Queen Cersei, a face Renly was never really fond of seeing at the council. He wasn't even sure why she was allowed to attend, given her family's reputation and the constant fights between the couple.

He took a seat next to Stannis, waiting as the rest of the council members slowly arrived. Ned Stark, Varys, Maester Pycelle, and Petyr Baelish all sat down with the rest of them, and Robert cleared his throat as everyone turned to face him.

"I called us together to discuss what we'll be doing about the Dorne situation," he announced. "They've started to undermine my claim to the throne. Varys has also heard that they're placing soldiers close to the border more frequently."

Not really a situation Renly really felt like dealing with this early in the morning alongside his headache. He didn't know how Robert was even functioning properly.

"Well, another war is definitely out of the question," said Baelish, seemingly untouched by the festival's effects. "It's simply not affordable. We're in a lot of debt at the moment due to... unknown circumstances." He gave a swift glare to the King. Robert seemed not to notice the subtle gesture, but everyone else in the council knew that a certain ruler hadn't been taking financial advice much in the past few years. It was even a surprise that the King called the council together, since usually they had to decide on certain matters by themselves while he went off to drink and hunt. And spend all the funds.

"We could just reinforce the border with our men as well. Let them know that their actions won't be tolerated, but avoid direct conflict," Ned suggested.

"What if that aggravates them more, though? You know how sly those Martells can be," replied Stannis. "We don't want them building up alliances with others, either. Those Greyjoys have been very hostile as well. If they'd join forces, that would certainly be devastating, especially with the Iron Fleet."

"How about a simple peace offering?" Pycelle put forward. "I'm sure if we give them a marriage or supplies, their aggression would die down fairly quickly."

"Who could we offer to marry?" asked Robert. "I know they have a lot of young girls in their family. Perhaps a fine unmarried man?"

His eyes trailed over to Renly, who immediately stiffened. "If you're suggesting me, then that's a very bad idea. You want your Master of Laws to wed a potential enemy? Or for the Baratheon bloodline to mix with theirs?" he protested.

"He has a point," sighed Stannis. "Maybe someone not in the council."

"You know, those Dornish girls are rather... off-putting," Pycelle muttered. "I don't find them safe. Are they the only royalty?"

"Doran has a young son as well. Trystane, I believe. Rather harmless boy," Baelish added. "We could wed him to a young lady."

"None of mine. Sansa's already promised to Joffrey," shrugged Ned, "and I think Arya might stab anyone I try to wed her to."

"I don't think Selyse would be fond of marrying Shireen off, either," Stannis tapped his finger on the table. "Who else?"

The men all thought on this for a second.

"...Why not Myrcella?" asked Robert, and Cersei gave him a cold glare. "What?" he stammered, "She's young and sweet. Probably would cheerfully agree to it."

"But she's still a girl," argued Cersei, "and I'm afraid of what the Dornish might do to her. What if she becomes like the women there? Or is targeted for something?"

"She won't be, she's too kindhearted. And she's my daughter too. It's not your decision," Robert grumbled, and Cersei's frown deepened. She slumped back in her chair, knowing she was unable to do anything to change her husband's mind. Renly could almost pity her, though he knew she was no better than the King in this.

"So Myrcella then? Should we send a letter?" Varys inquired. Robert thought for a second before Petyr spoke up.

"Let's send someone to talk to them. It will show how we aim to be friendly and avoid conflict."

"And what if they harm the person we send?" asked Stannis.

"Well, that would just lead to direct war. Not to mention, if we send someone important enough, harming them would be more risky."

"So not someone important enough that killing them would weaken us," Ned pointed out.

"Then who do we send?" asked Pycelle. Glances went around the room again.

"...Renly," came from Ned.

Renly gave a questioning look to his friend. "Me?"

"It makes sense. A member of the council, but not quite the Hand or his Grace himself. Brother of the King is too risky to harm, but still shows them that we're serious," Ned explained. 

"It makes sense," Baelish nodded. "I think Renly should do it."

"I agree as well," said Stannis. "As long as he'd consent."

Renly pursed his lips. "I mean... I do understand it. I'd be willing to negotiate with these Dornishmen."

"Then it's settled," Robert clapped his hands together. "Glad to have gotten so much done at this council. Renly will leave on a ship in two days. Meeting adjourned."

"Wait, what?" Renly stammered from his chair, but no one bothered to add anything else. The council all rose from their seats, and Renly realized as he stood that leaving so soon would mean he'd have to prepare right now. Aggravated by the abrupt change in his plans, he started to rush out of the chamber towards the Holdfast as soon as everyone began to walk out. His head was still pounding, and he was actually quite impressed that he hadn't passed out yet. Especially as he navigated over the serpentine steps, trying his best not to fall over and crack his skull on the winding staircase. Whose idea was it to build these stupid things, anyways?

"Out of all the people at the table, he chooses me," Renly muttered to himself as he finally reached his quarters. He didn't think it was a bad idea, and Ned's reasoning made sense. But going to Dorne on a two days notice wasn't exactly the first plan he had in mind. Or the second. Or third.

Sunspear would be easier to reach by boat, so Renly assumed he would have to prepare to go overseas. He wasn't the most steady ship rider, still wary from the tales he remembered from when he was younger. Not to mention he also had a terrible seasickness that befell him every time he sailed.

Dorne wasn't necessarily his favorite place, either. It was much too hot and dry, and facing that weather after a long boat ride was definitely not preferable. Gods knew what the Martells had in store for him, too. Those daughters were a sly bunch, and no one could ever predict their intent. He could be dead before he realized it.

After he finished packing as well as he could, Renly went back out to the lower bailey to ease his headache some more. He still had so much to sort out — a ship, for example, since Robert didn't even bother to tell him which one he would take. He'd have to ask Stannis about that. There was also finding a crew, as well as a group of people to speak with the Martells alongside him. And before any of that, he or Robert would have to send a raven to Dorne to let them know of the visit— gods, why hadn't Robert thought any of this through yet? Did he have to leave all his problems to everyone else?

The Red Keep was already bustling with activity as they started preparing. It wasn't uncommon for Robert to suddenly spring plans for a new trip onto them, though it wasn't well-liked, either. There was always just as many enemies in the Keep as there were friends.

Speaking of friends, out on the grass Renly noticed Ned Stark walking up to him. He slowly turned towards the man, still trying to ease his headache.

"Sorry for putting you on the spot like that," Ned apologized. "It just seemed reasonable to me. Now the whole castle is rushing to start preparations."

Renly shrugged, "I understand. I put more of the blame on Robert, since he didn't bother to figure this out until now."

Ned nodded, then paused. "The Martells are really not that bad, especially if they like you enough and you don't plan on threatening them. I'm sure they'll find you pleasant enough."

"I worry more about the trip there. Sailing has never been my favorite activity, and gods know if we'll have ships ready in time. I bet that Stannis is just as worried over this."

"Stannis has it under control; he even said he thinks you're incapable of organizing any of this yourself. Have the two of you been getting along fine lately? He seems distant to you as of late."

"Oh," Renly waved it off. "He and Robert have been harassing me over marriage recently. Says I have no time left to worry about loving her, and that if I don't marry soon I never will."

"Do you genuinely not want to marry? I'm sure you have many girls who would absolutely agree to be with you."

Renly shook his head. "I don't see the point of it if I haven't found someone to love. And it's not like I'm cutting off the Baratheon bloodline- they both have children. There's more to worry about, anyways, such as politics or war."

"That's what I thought before I met Catelyn," sighed Ned. "You'll find someone eventually, though. Just have to wait for it." He patted Renly on the back and walked off, leaving him alone in the grass.

If Renly could imagine what hell must be like, the next two days that followed were probably the closest to it.

He was busy with plans that Robert hadn't even thought of, and when the day of travel finally arrived, he was absolutely exhausted. The ships left early in the morning and when he finally settled in, Renly wanted nothing more than to get off of that boat. 

In the end, he wasn't the only one from the council to end up going. Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish, Master of Coin, also went, which Renly wasn't sure if he was glad about. On one hand, if his own charm didn't win over the Martells, Petyr could easily sway them to do what he wanted. Not to mention, the two got along relatively well. But on the other hand...

"Rather abrupt of Ned to force you along on this trip. His Highness never plans that well in advance, I suppose," Littlefinger said to him, overlooking the water next to Renly. Renly had been standing there for some fresh air in hopes of not getting sick, but that unfortunately didn't seem to work so well.

He had to remind himself that Petyr wasn't exactly the man to be trusted. As friendly as the two were, Petyr was a power-hungry man. Anything he said could be used as blackmail, and the Lord Baelish knew enough already about him that Renly didn't want anyone else to know.

"Ned had good intentions. And you know how Robert is."

"I've heard him pestering you about getting a wife as of late. Are you still giving him the excuse that you're just not ready for marriage yet? Or have you found a new one?"

"...I've still been telling him I would rather marry for love. It's not entirely wrong."

Petyr scoffed. "It's outstanding that he hasn't realized yet. Even Jaime Lannister knows about you."

"I would prefer if no one knew, though I guess some Lords can't keep their mouths shut," he gave Petyr a dirty look. Petyr shrugged.

"Being friends and with me has its ills and benefits. Perhaps you need better friends." He grinned, and Renly could't help shake his head and grin as well.

After a day, it wasn't as bad on the ocean as Renly thought it would be. The sea was peaceful for the time being, and nothing looked suspicious in the water- of course not, why would it? Littlefinger had also taught him to look at the horizon whenever he felt sick, and it surprisingly worked well, not to mention it was rather peaceful for him.

"Enjoying the sea?" Petyr asked him, and Renly gave a small nod.

"Not hating it as much."

"Perhaps I should tell Robert to send you on more of these journeys."

"Gods no, I don't love it that much. I just tolerate it for now."

Petyr gave a laugh. He looked off into the vast sea, which seemed completely endless from where they were.

"Remember the stories about the ocean?" he suddenly said. Renly narrowed his eyes and nodded, knowing exactly what he meant.

"I used to be so afraid of them. I still am scared of what could be out there, though I doubt it's anything quite as whimsical as mermaids. Probably just some ugly fish."

"You never know. Maybe they're swimming underneath the boat right now, listening to us and waiting for someone to fall in."

"Oh, please. We aren't children anymore." 

"So? They still could be out there. Perhaps they're tracking our ship, planning for an attack at night."

Renly rolled his eyes. "Or they're steering us off course. Pretending they're the wind so we don't suspect a thing."

"The wind isn't too strong, so unfortunately that's unlikely. Though I heard that the weather should be rather smooth the next few days. Hopefully the gods will bless our journey."

Renly really wished he hadn't said that so soon, because the next day, it started raining. It wasn't that hard, but staying cooped up below deck certainly wasn't pleasant at all. More people got seasick down there, so the smell was absolutely wretched, and there was nothing to do, either. Renly tried to write and get business done, but couldn't stay focused with the movement of the ship. Petyr offered to play a game of cyvasse, but when the rocking got so bad their pieces started falling off the table, they had to stop.

"I believe I spoke too soon yesterday," he sighed as he started to put the game away. "I hope that this rain doesn't get any worse."

"No, you're not allowed to say anything concerning the weather anymore," Renly snapped. "I don't want you to jinx anything."

Petyr held his hands up in defense. "Alright, fine. I won't be blamed for the weather now."

"Perhaps the gods are listening to what you say. It would make sense that they'd hate you."

Petyr chuckled. "They see me as a threat to the natural order, most likely. So be it. If it rains, it's not my fault. It only can be theirs."

During the night, rain started pouring even harder. Renly was woken up as he heard thunder crash, and the harder the boat rocked, the more worried he became. He couldn't remember the last time he was in a ship during a storm, so anxiety filled him as he heard the pounding of the rain against wood.

He sat in bed for a second before hearing another clap of thunder. He flinched; he never considered himself scared of it, though on a boat it felt much more scary than in the safety of a stone castle. Another reason he hated to sail, he supposed.

Nervously, he got up and found Petyr elsewhere below deck, seemingly just as worried about the weather as he was.

"Is the ship going to be alright?" he asked Petyr, who hesitated.

"As you said before, I don't want to 'jinx' it—"

Right as he spoke, another crash was heard right above the ship. Renly gave Petyr a worried look before running onto the top deck, Petyr following closely behind him. As they climbed up, they saw panicked crewmen surrounding one of the masts. It had been struck by lightning, and the flames were starting to spread rather quickly.

"Oh, by the gods—" Renly was cut off as the ship heavily rocked, making him stumble before catching himself. The sailors were beginning to pour buckets of water onto the mast, but nothing was working. The fire started to spread along the ship.

"Just our luck," Petyr muttered over the roar of the waves crashing alongside the boat. They were so tall, they almost seemed like they'd engulf the ship completely in a wrong turn.

"Have the other ships noticed?" Renly half-yelled to Petyr and pointed. They looked over to the nearest one, but it appeared no one there was making an effort to help them. He had no idea why they weren't doing anything.

"What should we do?" he asked, quite terrified now. He was more used to the dangers of the court than things such as this, and he was starting to panic more than ever.

"Wait here," Petyr said, and he rushed over towards the men at the mast. Some men were beginning to bring out dinghies, and as Petyr helped haul one over, he motioned for Renly to cross towards him. But as Renly took a step, he heard a cracking noise. The flaming mast shook, then fell down onto the deck with a crash, breaking some of the wood and blocking him off from the other men. He hesitantly tried walking by it, but it wouldn't be safe to try to jump over it with the fire burning so furiously. Even in the rain, flames could be deadly.

The fire started to spread from there, and Renly uneasily clung to the side of the ship. Water splashed everywhere from the massive waves, and he was beginning to feel overwhelmed from all the noise. Petyr was shouting something to him that he couldn't make out, and it took a moment for him to realize that his side of the ship was starting to break off from the rest of it. The boat was done for.

He tried to run, but that only weakened the wood more. Slowly moving step by step, he attempted to move around the mast, but flames surrounded the area all around. He witnessed one man on his side try to douse them before the wood beneath him gave out, and he fell from the deck onto the floor below. The ship was starting to tilt to his side, and Renly knew it wasn't long before it would sink.

Other men stumbled and fell down into the water. Renly hung on, watching as Petyr and others left on the dingy as they realized it was hopeless to try to save anyone else. Renly felt hopeless as well, watching the fire intensely as his feet slid down and the ship gave a jolt to the side. His hands left the wood and he could feel himself falling from the ship.

His arms swung in the air for anything to grab onto. His ears were filled with the noise of the ocean and mens' shouts, muffling his thinking. There was nothing for him to hold, and the ship was starting to fully lean onto it's side. Renly's vision flashed with reds and oranges and, after a second in the air, he finally dropped down into the cold water, believing it would be the last thing he felt before seeing the gods.

His death was cold, like the water.  
Renly could feel the water's coolness, the warmth from the fire, and... sand?

He opened his eyes slowly and coughed. His vision was hazy, but he could feel the lower half of his body in the sea while he laid on the shore of some beach. The sun was beating down on him, and it took him a second to realize that this wasn't death like he thought it was. It was land, and where he could be, he had no idea. He flipped himself over and swiped some of the sand off, then sitting up to take in his surroundings- as well as recount what had happened before he woke here.

The ship... right, the ship. He went through the event in his mind, unable to believe what had happened the previous night. It was almost a miracle he turned up here... wherever it was. 

A rather beautiful shoreline, he did admit. There were some large rocks around, as well as palm trees nearby and rocky land behind him. Renly stood up after another minute on the ground and stumbled over towards the interior of the beach, intent on knowing if he'd end up dying of starvation there or not

He was definitely on an island, he observed, that thankfully had a decent amount of resources he could survive with for now. There was fruit, fish in the water, and a small freshwater pond in the center. But other than that, it was relatively small, and in the distance Renly could see the glimpse of a mountain- not quite close land, though it was reassuring to see some form of it. He certainly couldn't swim there, though if he tried to make a raft, it could work. 

Of course, he'd have to teach himself how to build one as well. But first, he would look around for whatever resources he could use at the moment for possible tools. He scavenged around to find some washed up planks of wood, a glass wine bottle, and a burlap sack among the rocks. He was still hesitant to go into the water, though if he managed to land here safely, there couldn't be anything too harmful in these seas.

He put the things he collected down in a pile, and as he did so, a sparkle from the rocks in the water caught his eye. He slowly walked over to the shore and squinted to see a blade hidden within the water, probably from his own ship. Feeling lucky for once in his life to have a sword, Renly eagerly trudged through the water and bent down to grab it. But as his hand grasped the hilt, another hand suddenly appeared in the water, and he stumbled back. He wildly pointed it towards the ocean as he ran to solid land.

"Who's there?" he shouted. The hand disappeared, and something splashed from behind the rocks.

Renly shuffled a bit closer, but couldn't see without going into the water— which he absolutely was not going to do. If the thing he saw was what he thought it was, then rafting back to land sounded a lot scarier than before. _But there's no way_...

The hand re-emerged and held onto the rocks. From it, a figure rose, causing Renly to move back in fear. He aimed the sword upwards, examining the being in front of him.

It appeared to be a young man, with brown curly hair and eyes that almost seemed to be made of gold. He was beautiful, nothing like Renly had ever seen, but instead of any legs, the bottom half of him was a fish's tail. The scales were sparkly and bright, but Renly felt nothing but absolute dread as he recognized what the man was.

"You're a merman..." he whispered in disbelief. He was shocked at how human the creature looked, though he remembered that the tales mentioned how they pretended to be drowning humans, only to snatch them and drag them into the sea. Maybe this one lured people with its beautiful looks?

He never thought he'd actually see one. There were some "sightings" here and there, but Renly never saw actual evidence of them, so what reason was there to even believe in them? Many legends went through his head as he processed what he was seeing— the stories of mermaids luring sailors to kill them, of mermen tearing down fishing ships. He was frightened, unsure what to do now that he actually was seeing one.

"If that's what you call us, yes," the merman responded with a smooth voice, almost sounding like he came from King's Landing. Renly was surprised that it spoke back, though he didn't dare lower his sword. He wasn't sure if he was already mad or if this really was a merman, nor did he know which he'd rather prefer.

"Are you here to hunt me? To eat me alive?" he asked sharply. "I'll tear you piece to piece if you even come close."

Admittedly, his skills as a swordsman were quite lacking, so he hoped the merman would just leave. Though it didn't seem to have those intentions.

"Why would I do that? We don't eat land creatures. We eat fish."

"Oh, please. I've heard the tales." This merman wasn't to be trusted, he decided.

"I've heard tales of humans as well." Its tail splashed in the water, seemingly out of curiosity. "I shouldn't be up here talking to you, though I wanted to learn more about your kind. I thought that junk had landed here... I didn't realize a human had too."

"Well, you can get lost. I have nothing to say to you."

"It seems you're the lost one here. Do you even know what part of the continent you're in?" he asked. Renly didn't bother to reply. A snarky little creature, it was.

"What's your name?" the merman continued. "If you have one, that is. I've met a human before that couldn't remember who she was."

Was it mermaids you couldn't tell your name to, or dragons, Renly wondered to himself upon hearing the question. Or was it fairies? All the tales got mixed in his head, and just thinking about all of it got him confused. "Renly," he settled on just saying his name.

"Interesting name. I'm Loras. Are you a sailor?"

Renly sighed, looking down at his wet, torn clothes. He probably seemed like one.

"I'm a lord. My brother is the King of Westeros."

Loras nodded his head. "So you're somewhat royalty... I don't know if I can say the same. Politics work different underwater— though my father is important."

"You have your own society in the water?" Renly wasn't sure if he could believe that. Though, they seemed to be fairly similar to humans concerning the mind, so it would make sense that they formed societies and policies. Gods, was he really beginning to analyze the lifestyle of mermaids?

"Of course. How much do your 'tales' really tell?"

Was this merman just joking with him, or was he telling the truth? Suddenly Renly started to rethink the stories he had heard. Along with his own sanity.

"Our tales talk about how your kind are murderous animals," he said, backing away a little. Loras raised an eyebrow.

"Our tales aren't much different. We learned that your kind kill us like predators."

"Kill you? We hardly even see you! Why should I believe your legends?"

"The same reason I should believe yours, supposedly," the merman snapped back. "Are all humans like this?"

Renly decided he had enough with this thing. He expected the creatures to be ruthless killing machines, not simply annoying like his brothers. Plus, seeing such a thing after waking up on a desert island wasn't exactly a pleasant sight. He had bigger concerns.

"Alright. Well, I'm finished speaking with you. You can go hunt some other human, because I'm leaving to make a shelter."

"Shelter? To protect you from what? This is a rather pathetic island. I'm almost sorry you ended up here and not someplace better."

"Did you not hear me? Or will I have to shut you out myself?"

Loras gave a sigh. "Fine, you're boring anyways. I'll come again tomorrow to see if you're ready to talk again."

He pushed himself off the rock and into the water, from where he swam away. Renly watched his tail glisten in the sun as he slowly disappeared, and was unsure how to process what he just witnessed. No one would believe him, that was for sure. His brothers would say he's delusional. Maybe he was. He'd have to wait until tomorrow to see if he had been hallucinating or not.

For now, though, Renly wanted to focus on living on this wretched little island. It had been a long past few days even back at home, and he was exhausted from all this sudden change. Any worries about his family or mermaids would have to wait until he was safe, and then he could concern himself with whatever came to his mind about King's Landing. Hopefully it wouldn't be too long until he saw it again.


	2. Chapter 2

A day passed, and already Renly felt like he was going to lose his mind.

Sleeping in the grass was nothing a nobleman should do, he thought as he slowly rose from his uncomfortable rest. His back hurt from the ragged ground, and the only way he could somewhat clean himself from all the dirt and sand would be to go into either the water he drank from or the sea, neither of which sounded appealing to him.

His morning started off with food as the priority, since he didn't necessarily want his dramatic death to be of starvation on a desert island with no one to see. He piled together all the food he collected the previous day and then collected some more, leaving enough behind to continue growing in case he'd spend more time here than he hoped.

 _Gods, please don't let it come to that_.

Using the sword he had taken from the water, he managed to catch a fish, thank the gods for that. But getting it cooked and skinning it was apparently the hard part, apparently. The fire took well over an hour to start thanks to his lack of skill in that area, and when it did and his fish cooked, he didn't know what part to eat. So there he sat like an absolute madman, picking off pieces of a fish and sitting in rags on the rocks. Gods, if anyone saw him, it would be a complete embarrassment to his title.

The biggest struggle for Renly on the island, however, seemed to be occupying himself with something to do. He fidgeted with the things he found, even practicing with the sword a bit, but ultimately he found himself at a loss for activities. He could catch more fish, or try making a better shelter, but he didn't have the faintest idea where to start with that. This wasn't the sort of thing maesters taught noble-children who were expected to serve in court all their life.

What would his brothers think of this, he thought to himself as he sat on the grassy floor of the island, just watching the waves. No doubt they'd both tell him it was good to learn how to live in the wilderness, and that maybe he'd gain the courage to participate in battle eventually. They would sneer, they would laugh at his efforts, they would criticize him for being too weak...

Everything seemed to revolve around them in his mind. Renly sighed, wondering how his life had come to this. Even when he was alone on an island, they plagued his thoughts. Was his life back at home really so pathetic? He never really considered how big of a role they had back at the castle, but it seemed that they really did run everything for him.

That didn't matter right now, though, he angrily told himself and stood up in an effort to clear his mind. There were more important things to focus on at the moment, such as survival.

If only he had a clue how to do that. He could hardly survive back at King's Landing, with ferocious beasts called noblemen and royalty constantly tearing at his throat. Maybe, if he was honest to himself, this would be easier. A small island without any politics at all... if he had his own little isolated palace here, it would be paradise for him. Too bad that all he had now was a sword and some food. Better than nothing, at least.

He started making his way over to the shore, trying to see exactly how far the closest land was, when he heard a sudden splash in the water. He nervously looked over, unsure what to expect, and there he saw the same shimmering tail he had seen the day before. The merman appeared to be back. _What luck._

The creature rose up from the water, Renly getting a full view of his pretty face and curly brown hair once again. He leaned down against the rocks, arms folded across them and his tail sticking upright in the air. "Hello again, Renly. Still alone on the island, it seems."

"And you're still here to bother me." It felt so strange to talk to him so casually, like he was a normal human. The way Loras spoke was as if he had known Renly for some time, while Renly couldn't help but feel awkward in his responses. Though in all honestly, he was a little bit glad he wasn't entirely alone on this island. Even an annoying monster provided some company for him.

"Still wary of me, I'm guessing?" Loras rested a hand against his chin. Renly noticed his distance from the water and moved back a little, just in case the merman got any ideas. _You could never be sure_.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

Loras let out a huff. "Humans are never fun... I'm taking a risk by coming up here too, you know? If I got caught by another of my kind, or worse, another human, I'd be in a lot of trouble."

"Well sadly, not all of us get to choose to put ourselves at risk like this. Sometimes it just happens thanks to bad luck and bad weather."

Loras stretched on top of the rocks, the water almost glimmering off of him as the morning sun hit the two of them. "I have more questions about the human world, if you're willing to answer," he yawned. Renly briefly considered, and let out a sigh; he really had no reason not to. He didn't trust Loras, that was for sure, but there was no harm in telling a few things about the human world to him. He sat crossed-legged in the soft sand, facing himself towards the merman.

"Fine, I have nothing better to do."

Loras's eyes lit up. "Oh, you actually want to answer? Alright. I have so many questions..." he pursed his lips in thought for a moment. "So... does your entire kind actually think we're monsters? More people than just you?"

"Well, you have yet to prove otherwise."

Loras scoffed. "And you as well. We're even, then, on that note." An odd thing, Renly realized as Loras spoke, to be on equal footing as a merman. Though to be fair, he knew quite a few men who were far beneath mermen... far beneath any monsters he could ever dream of.

A second passed before Loras started talking again. "What is it like up there? I've heard rumors from... my kind. Is it true that you live in structures that touch the sky? Some of us have spotted giant pillars that nearly reach the clouds." His eyes seemed to widen in wonder at the thought, though Renly raised an eyebrow at the statement.

"Reach the clouds? I suppose that the Red Keep is rather high compared to the shore... though that place is only for nobles like me. Most people just live in houses in the city."

"Ah... the Red Keep..." Loras's tail swished around in the water as he seemed to dream about the castle. Renly looked at him closer than he had been able to the day before, and at this proximity he could make out the details of his face more clearly. If the merman were human, Renly thought to himself, he would certainly be popular with the women. His face was chiseled like a work of art, to the point where even Renly felt a little entranced. Bright, golden eyes and curly hair that seemed to bounce despite constantly being in water... the stories he had heard described their kind as beautiful, so he wasn't entirely surprised.

However, those legends also mentioned of mermaids and merman using their looks to lure people into the sea before eating them. Perhaps he shouldn't be too relaxed around this creature despite his beauty, he realized. Renly straightened his back and cleared his throat, trying to subtly move back an inch further from the water.

"Well, what is it like under there?" he asked, nodding towards the sea. It was something he honestly always wondered; he heard some things about the ocean here and there from sailors, but he never really went in the water throughout his life. Renly hardly knew what past the shoreline looked like, much less the deep of the ocean. What even existed there was far beyond his knowledge.

Loras gave a shrug. "I'd assume just like land, though you can't go too deep and it's quite easy to get lost. We manage, though."

"Are there not terrible creatures down there? Like serpents and leviathans?"

"I don't know what those are, but the ocean doesn't hold anything worse than land, I'd imagine. So it depends what 'terrible creatures' are to you."

Renly considered that. They did have some odd creatures on land, he nodded, so maybe he shouldn't be too suspicious of the ocean. It was mostly the mermaids themselves he was so worried about when he thought of it, and in a cruel twist of fate, now he sat with one right in front of him. If he told his past self about this, he would've laughed in his own face.

"Do you ever even go into the water?" Loras narrowed his eyes, and Renly gave a sheepish shrug.

"Not many men do. We're all too scared of your kind."

"Ridiculous," Loras huffed. "If humans are as safe as you claim, then we are no more dangerous than you. Of course, that's only if I believe humans are safe."

"If I'm honest, your kind shouldn't even worry about us. Humans are too focused on killing other humans. In fact, I was going to negotiate peace terms with others before I washed up here."

The merman grunted. "Oh, I'm aware about what humans do to each other. All these battles on ships..." he sighed. "We have fighting too, but it's nowhere as _invasive_ as yours. Do you fight?"

Renly almost laughed aloud. _Did he fight._ He tried, when he had to, but politics were far more his talent, despite how chaotic the field could be. "I do what I can. Why, do you?"

Loras nodded. "I'm one of the most skilled of my kind," he gave a proud grin. It almost felt endearing to Renly, but he had to remind himself, this was a merman he was talking to. Not some sweet, young knight bragging about his battles.

"What fighting even occurs in the ocean? A fish gone awry?" he scoffed. Loras shook his head.

"More than you would expect. There's a lot down there. Fighting happens both between my kind and with creatures that try to harm us."

The thought made Renly's skin crawl. Whatever laid beneath the water should stay there, in his opinion, and he didn't even want to imagine the types of creatures Loras must fight against if they were actively trying to harm mermen. Who knows what they'd do to men, and on land there were already scary enough creatures lurking about, he had recalled. Though, nothing as bad as the people of King's Landing.

Loras tail continued to moved around in the water, and Renly glanced at it with curiosity. He could never imagine having one instead of legs. Constantly drifting in the water instead of being on land... he'd never understand how mermaids lived their lives. He didn't understand a lot about them. Seven hells, he didn't even consider that they were actually real until now.

"Ah, I spent more time up here than I expected to," Loras suddenly remarked as he glanced up at the sky. "It has to be past noon, now. If you don't mind, I think I have to go."

Renly tiredly stood up from the sand, wiping away the grains from his trousers. "Well, go on ahead, I don't mind. What, do you think I can chase after you if I don't want you to go? I'm alone on an island, and I'm not going near that water."

Loras shrugged. "Well, I didn't want to seem rude." He looked up at Renly. "You know, you're not as monstrous as I expected. I think you deserve some respect. Anyways, goodbye for now. I'll see you whenever I get bored again." He pushed himself off the rocks, and fell into the water next to them with a splash. Renly watched as the merman slowly moved further and further away, swimming far and then sinking into the sea until his shimmering tail was nothing more than a sparkle amongst the ocean.

He found himself amused at Loras's insistence of "respect." Was he really a kind creature, or just taunting him? The mermaid stories portrayed them as sly and tricking, Renly remembered... but those same tales never mentioned of them going out of their way to seemingly gain humans' respect. Did Loras genuinely intend on befriending Renly?

He shouldn't even be caring about this, Renly thought as he turned back towards the island's interior with a huff. He was a nobleman— a member of the King's court, his brother, no less. Such things were beneath him, and wondering about the amicable intent behind a mythical sea creature wouldn't do him any good, especially when he was stranded on an island.

Though deep down inside, he wanted to know more about mermaids. They'd played such a large role in the entire lifestyle of man— and as a boy who grew up with their stories, how could he not? If Loras was telling the truth about what his kind was like— otherwise an incredibly elaborate lie— then there were so many more questions he had for him. As he glanced back towards the sea, he couldn't help but hold a small ounce of hope that the merman would come back, even if he was just some sea-dwelling monster.

The rest of the day was spent the same as it had been before Loras showed up, and it wasn't until the morning after that Renly heard back from the merman. He had been trying to catch more fish, but apparently his luck had run out, as they managed to evade him every time. Defeated, he wandered back onto the sandy shore when he heard a splash by the rocks again.

Loras laid where he had before, his chin perched on his hands, observing Renly as his tail swished in the water. Renly gave a glance before placing the sword in the sand and sat cross-legged beside it like he had the day before.

"Yet another day on this small island," Loras said, stretching out his arms before turning upside-down on his back. "What interesting things have you been up to while I was gone?"

"Failing to catch more fish," Renly gave a heavy sigh. "Thinking to myself. That's all."

"Oh, if you need fish, I can help you, you know." Loras slowly lowered himself into the water and before Renly could even blink, he snatched a fish and pulled it out. "Catching fish is part of our lifestyle."

He tossed it onto the beach and it landed next to Renly, squirming around on the sand until Renly skewered it onto his sword. "...Thanks," he murmured, not sure whether to be scared or impressed at the merman's quick reflexes while catching it. _Remember the tales..._

Loras seemed to noticed Renly's shift in ease, and leaned back down onto the rock. "Hey, it's what we eat. I imagine humans are just as trained in catching their food."

"We use weapons for that. Not our... brute strength."

Loras shrugged. "We're just wired to hunt more, I suppose. It's not our fault we're different from humans. Brute strength and using our hands work better for us."

"Using your hands to hunt... gods, you're just proving the stories I've heard. Hopefully I'm not unlucky enough to turn into Durran Godsgrief, all torn apart by mermaid claws," Renly muttered to himself.

"...Durran? As in the tale of deceitful Lord Durran?" Loras's curiosity suddenly piqued at the mention of it. "You know of his story as well?"

Renly furrowed his brow. "Yes, I do. That's strange, how did such a legend pass between us? We don't call him 'deceitful,' though, why do you say that?"

Loras paused. "...Because he betrayed his wife. That's how the story goes, right?"

"No, not at all... from what I remember, his wife betrays him," Renly shook his head. The merman pursed his lips.

"I'm relatively sure it's the other way around..."

"Now wait just a moment," said Renly, "let's go back to the beginning. From my recollection, Lord Durran created Storm's End after falling in love with a mermaid like you. But her father, a god, was mad at this, and destroyed it. He rebuilt it several times before finally succeeding... and his descendants became House Baratheon. My house.”

“That’s right,” Loras agreed. "Wow, that's your house?"

“Yes. But anyways, his wife, after somehow turning into a human, secretly was working with her father and killed him as a declaration of war from merfolk against mankind... and that's why merfolk have hated us ever since. What's your memory of it?"

Loras took a deep breath. "All's the same, except that Lord Durran killed the mermaid Elenei because he despised merfolk... and after dumping her body into the sea, he declared war on us..."

"That's strange. The versions entirely differ between us. It makes sense, though."

Loras was quiet for a moment. "You don't suppose that either tales are really true, do you?"

"Perhaps," Renly shrugged. "I do think he was real, though. I mean, he's technically my ancestor. I doubt any of the dramatics were real, though. I used to those stories were exaggerated..."

"The cruel Lord Durran is your ancestor," Loras let out a laugh. "With the coldness you've treated me with, I'm not surprised."

"Coldness? I could be leagues worse, if I wanted to. You should be thankful you have me, and not some other lord from the castle. I'm pretty sure my brothers would just kill any merman they saw."

"Perhaps they inherited it, then, more than you. Though, be honest, you don't really think my kind is so full of monsters. Not any more than man, anyways."

Renly shrugged. "I couldn't say. I've only seen you, so I don't have much of a basis. And I can't say you're the kindest creature I've met"

"You're doubting the tales you heard. I am too, in all fairness. Humans aren't as bad as I thought."

"Maybe I am doubting them, maybe not. They're tales; I'll trust my own instinct about your kind."

But Loras just smirked, and said, "I can tell nonetheless," before sliding back into the water. He slowly swam away from the island, giving Renly a wave before his shimmering tail escaped the man's view.

Renly sat there alone for another few minutes, wondering about how different the two really were. If both of the versions of the story were incorrect, then what really happened, he thought to himself. Somehow, something got the two species to despise each other, with the fear of mermaids being ingrained into human culture. Renly almost didn't want to be afraid to trust Loras, seeing that he'd been helpful company so far. But all the legends he had heard just couldn't leave him...

Another day passed, and the next morning, Renly sat by the coast again. As much as he didn't like to admit it, he did enjoy the chats with Loras a lot. He felt a bizarre connection to the merman; it wasn't any sort of a friendship, but something kept him intrigued by Loras. That, and also being on an island all alone was very emotionally draining. He almost felt lucky to have Loras with him— if he didn't, seven hells, he might've found himself talking to the fish. 

So when he saw the faint sparkle in the distance, Renly guiltily felt excited for the merman's return.

He watched as he came closer, and when Loras emerged and hopped onto the rocks this time, he threw a couple of fish onto the sand. Renly quickly skewered them onto his sword so they wouldn't flop back into the water.

"Thank you," he said to the merman, who leaned down in the sun.

"You're welcome. Anything new since I left?"

Renly grunted. "Nothing of note. I did think about the tale of Durran, though, and our two versions."

"What about it?"

He shrugged, "I think the real story was lost to legend. Perhaps something else killed the both of them. Disease or war."

"Probably both," added Loras.

"I don't understand what the 'declaration of war' was, though. What drove us to hate each other? An incident, or something else?"

"Fear of the unknown," suggested Loras, and Renly idly nodded.

"A hatred for anything other than ourselves. I could see that. It doesn't really matter in the end, but I just... got curious about why I'm driven to fear you. Like you said last time... I don't think you're a monster. But the stories..."

"Who cares about the stories?" asked Loras. "They're old. Rumors. We have similar ones, but I don't care about what my kind says about humans. I was interested enough to come to surface to see you, for example."

"Fair point." Renly uncrossed his legs, sticking them out so that the water touched them as the waves hit the sand. "Then the stories of Dorran are untrue."

"Definitely. He probably lived a peaceful life with his wife afterwards, then died of sickness with her," sighed Loras. "A pretty boring ending, but more likely. Peace is sometimes better than that."

"How'd she even turn into a human?" Renly asked, realizing the strange plot hole just now. "Or did they live separately in reality? That makes no sense."

Loras's tail splashed in the water, seemingly a habit of his as he thought to himself. "There are some stories of a sea witch that can grant my kind the ability to become human. She probably used a similar magic."

"Back with the 'stories'? Did you not just say you didn't like them?"

Loras shook his head, "I know this story is true, actually. My older sister met with the witch to become human, and never came back. I can only assume she succeeded."

"Oh, really? I wouldn't trust any witch with that. She probably used a curse, or something."

"I doubt it; she isn't vengeful from what I heard, just lives alone. Probably lonely and willing to help."

"Then if anything, your sister lives among the poor of King's Landing." Renly huffed. "That's where most travelers end up, anyways."

"Maybe she did." Loras tilted his head. "But it's what she wanted. You could've even seen her."

"I probably have without even realizing it. Though I wouldn't know anything about her. I don't talk to commoners that much."

"Well, her name's Margaery. If that means anything," he shrugged. "I don't know."

Renly froze. "Wait... no, Margaery?"

"Yes. Hold on, do you actually know her?" The merman's head lifted up.

"Margaery Tyrell?" Renly felt absolutely dumbfounded. Loras furiously nodded, and Renly's mouth was agape.

"How is she? Have you spoken with her?" A shot of excitement went through Loras, but Renly was still trying to comprehend things. 

"I... I spoke to her just a few days ago at a festival... She has quite a reputation among the nobles..."

"A reputation? What, are you trying to win her attention," chuckled Loras.

"No, no, not at all. I don't—" Renly bit his tongue. "She's lovely, but I have no interest. Others certainly do, though, that's for sure."

"Well, I'm so glad to hear she's doing well! What's she like? I haven't see her in a while..." Loras wistfully sighed. "We were close. It was sad seeing her leave, but I'm glad she's happy."

"She's certainly an interesting character..." said Renly. He could hardly believe this. "Very... ambitious. Knows what she wants and tries to get it. The Queen absolutely hates her."

"That's not surprising. She can easily read people and use things against them. I miss her."

Renly nodded, though he wasn't sure if he could really relate. He still thought of his brothers often, but did he really miss them? It's not like they were the greatest brothers, Robert being a stubborn drunkard and Stannis a coldhearted lobster, but... they were the only family he had. He had not many others to lean onto back at King's Landing.

"Do you have any other family?" he found himself asking Loras, suddenly curious as to what a merman's family could be like, especially with this new knowledge of Margaery. Loras nodded.

"I have a large one. My mother's gone, but my father and grandmother are mostly the heads of our family," he replied. "Margaery's my only sister, but I have two older brothers. Willas and Garlan. And then there's dozens of cousins... but that's my main family."

All this information about Margaery's family that he had no clue about before. It felt almost too intimate, learning these details about her that she kept so hidden. "You're the youngest," Renly pointed out. Loras shrugged.

"I suppose I am."

"I am as well." It felt strange to have similarities to Loras, a whole different creature than him. Just a week ago if he had learned all this stuff about mermaids having families and even more, Margaery being one, he wouldn't believe it. He was even a little skeptical now, but what reason was there to doubt Loras? He knew of Margaery, and Margaery's unknown past worked with his story. There was no reason for Loras to lie about these things to Renly other than to mess with his mind— and given that he was stranded on an island, he probably was losing it already.

"How many brothers or sisters?"

"Just two older brothers," sighed Renly. "Another lord and the King. I'm definitely not as close with them as you seem to be with yours, though."

"How come?"

 _Good question._ Renly wished it were easy to give him an answer. All he could muster was a shrug, and, "Our family is complex."

"Complex?"

"I can't say I get along with my brothers. I guess I somewhat love them, as they're my family... but they're too power-hungry and ruthless. One's the King, and the other wishes he was. Which leaves me, the youngest. I don't even care about the throne."

Loras nodded. "I can get that. Not all of our families can be so simple to understand. Still, though, the fact that you know Margaery... I hope to see her again. Maybe when you get off this island you can tell her."

"If I get off this island," Renly scoffed, but Loras shook his head.

"I'll try to help you. I know you're a human, but... your kind really is not what I expected. The least I can do is give you food and try to figure out where the closest land is. After all, spending time with you is far more interesting than the things going on down below."

Renly hesitated. "...Thank you. I never expected your kind to be so... willing to help us, either."

Loras nodded. "It's odd. But we're really not that different."

It was true, Renly shrugged. As much as he didn't like to admit it... he had started to sense some humanity in Loras, if that was the right word to use.

The merman left after that, and Renly was alone again on the island. He was starting to like the creature a lot more; maybe it was just the isolation getting to him, but talking with Loras wasn't like taking to anyone back at home. It was something he'd never experienced before, and Renly was eager for when they'd speak again. He was almost enchanting... and despite all the stories, Renly found himself in awe of the merman. He never thought he'd feel so connected with what humans regarded as a monster. But with Loras's help, maybe he could eventually find his way back to King's Landing.

Though if he was honest... he wasn't even sure if he fully wanted to go back. To stay on an isolated island or go to the bustling city full of shit and rats... Renly didn't know which was worse.


End file.
